Casing for shoe machines



Patented Nov. 1, 1949 CASING FOR SHOE MACHINES Ernest Hope, Leicester,England, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 2, 1948, Serial No.330

In Great Britain February 28, 1947 4 Claims. (Cl. 11a-25s) The presentinvention relates to shoe machines and more particularly to improvementsin protective and ornamental cover structures for such machines. Anexample of a machine to which the present invention is applied is asewing machine illustrated in United States Letters Patent No.1,133,147, granted March 23, 1915, upon application of L. E. Johnson andE. Erickson.

One of the various objects of the present invention is to provide anovel arrangement of dust excluding coversor hoods for the head of amachine capable of use in the manufacture or repair of shoes, bywhichhoods the mechanisms of the machine are protected against entry ofdust or foreign matter but yet can be readily exposed for Aconvenientadjustment or for other purposes.

Accordingly, one of the several features of the invention resides in ashoe machine having a head frame for supporting the operating devices, ahorizontal driving shaft and mechanisms connecting the driving shaftwith the operating devices inwhich the upper portions and sides of saidmechanisms are shrouded in a novel manner by a number of hood membershinged in sideby-side relation at the upper part of the head frame foriindependent movement into and out of surrounding relation to saidmechanisms.

Other features of the invention include novel and improvedconstructions, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed which, together with the advantages to` beobtained, therebywill readily beunderstood from'the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is ka view in front elevation partly broken away of a machineembodying the features of the present invention;

I6 -andsuitable actuating mechanisms, parts of which are indicated at I8to connect the sewing shaft with the operating or stitch forming devicesof the machine.

The top face of the supporting column is substantially rectangular incross section and secured to this face at either side thereof is anupstanding wall member or 22, each of somewhat U shape to correspondwith the top edge of the column. The wall members extend part way acrossthe front of the machine head into close fitting relation with the endframes l2 and I4. At the rear of the machine the two wall members meetat I5 as illustrated in Fig. 4 to form a dust excluding enclosure. Theheight to which the wall members rise from the top face of the column issufficient to surround the lower part of ance with this invention, theupper rear portions of the wall members 20 and 22 have hinged` on them aseries of three hoods 26, 28 and 30 which cover said mechanisms whileleaving an opening at the front through which the stitch form- Fig. 2 isa view in side elevation of the upper portion of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a separated fragmentary perspective view on an'enlarged scaleillustrating the hinge connections between the hoods and wall members.

The' machine illustrated in the drawings is a curved hook needle shoesewing machine similar in construction and in manner of operation tothat disclosed in the Johnson and Erickson pat-i ent, above identified,and comprises a hollow main supporting column IIJ on the top of which issecured a head frame corresponding to the base 20 described in saidpatent. Thisbase is constructed with end frames I2 and I4 provided withbearings for a main horizontal sewing shaft curved upwardly andforwardly from their hinges over the head frame of the machine and com'prise a pair of left and right hoods and a central hood between them.The right andr central hoods 28 and 30 are hinged for vertical swingingmovement to the right-hand wall member 22 and the left hood is hingedfor horizontal' swinging movement to the left-hand wall member 20. Thehinge mounting for the right-hand hood comprises perforated lugs 32 onthe inside of the wall member 22 and similar lugs 34 on the hood- 30through which passes a horizontal pinv 36' shown in Fig, 4 in separatedrelation. `'llhe arrangement is such that when the hood 30 is in closedposition the lugs lie inside the compart- I ment formed by the hood 30and the end frame@ I4. The upper part of a driving mechanism is enclosedin this right-hand compartment, including a driving pulley 38 and a belt40 surrounding a pulley 42 at the foot of the column l0, which belt inturn is driven from a motor 44 inside the lower portion of the column.Pulley 38 and belt *14D are exposed when the hood 30 swings rearwardlyabout its hinge pin.

The center hood 28 is of inverted U section terminating at its forwardedge just above the sewing point of the machine denedbya lwork support46 and a presser foot 48 for clamping a shoe while being operateduponbyfacurvedfhook needle 50 and others of the stitchforming devices.The hood 28 is hinged in a manner Ysimilar to that of the hood 3l) ontwo perforatedilugsat the inside of the right-hand wall member 22 andtwo similar lugs 53 extending inwardly from the lower edge of the hood28, through which lugsv passes the pin 36 also forming a part of thehinge for the right-hand hood. Upon swinging the center hood Y28-rearwardly the main actuating mechanisms for-the stitch formingdevicesare'exposed. When swung into place-the hood`2'8 is supported alongits'forward edge by a facefton t the endameld justabove the sewingpointand the left-'hand edge-of the hood 28 isin the form faverti'cal ange 5Sengaging the'right-hand face of theihood 2B.

The left-hand hood y2E and-the left-handwall member`28 practicallyenclose the left-handportion 'o'f the mechanismin'themachine head andfit-'closely with the end frame I2. The hood "2% alongiits-left edge hasa vertical portion extending fromthewall'member 2li upwardly over thetop of the compartment-formed between the end frame I2 andfthe'hood `2S.Theright-hand edge ofthe hood"26 labuts theange 59 `of the center hood28, thusexcluding dust or otherioreign matter from this part of themachine.

'On account of the vshape of the left-'hand hood 26 made necessary byits close surrounding Vrelation to 'laterally projecting parts Yand.mechanism at the left sideof'the machine it cannot `be swung-rearwardly and vertically about a horizontal axis. Accordingly, theleft hood '26 is mountedon a vertical aXisto swing horizontally andlisprovided along its rear innerv portion with a lug SSfrom which extendsdownwardly a vertical spindle`58. The spindle`58 is rotatably mounted ininwardlyv projecting lugs l on the Wall member 20. "To restrain theleft-hand'hoodfrom accidental movement away from the end frame i2 theleft-'hand vertical portion of the Vhoed carries along its lower edge ashort downwardlypro'jectingpinBZ (see Fig. 1). 'The pin`6`2. is sopositioned that when the hood 26 is closedit engages `the inner surfaceofthe wall member. To open the hood'ZB, the forward edge of themember islifted su'iciently to raisethe pin above .theupper edge of the wallmember 28, `the spindle 53 being mountedloosely-in .the lugs toallovJ-the.front of the. hood 2G to be raised slightly.

II'he .ring-hand wallmember22 has-.along Yits rearward rupper edge fourslots 64 -spaoedapart the proper distance to receive thelugsll and 53.When 4thecenter and right licodsare. swungrearwardly, the-'engagementof. the lugs Ai4 and 53 with the bottoms1of `the slots limitstherearward movementv of thehoodsl and holds them open ina convenientvertical position.

Thethreehoods 26,28 and .SG when in closed position provide :a:substantially :complete cover forV the factuatingmechanisms ofthemachineand anyionezofthehoods'mayxbe swung toopen position to giveaccess to the different sets of mechanisms in the machine independentlyof the other two without exposing the other mechanisms. This result isparticularly obtained from the arrangement of the end frames I2 and I4,dividing the machine more or less into compartments within `-which thediierentz-sets tof mechanisms operate.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and aparticular embodiment hav- :ing beenidi'sclosed, what is claimed is:

1. A shoe machine having a hollow main sup- A'porting columnfopera'tingdevices, a head frame forthe operating devices carried by the supportingcolumn and constructed with end members,

aihorizontalmainfshaft in the said frame extend- 1in'g Tfrom "sideitoside of the column, actuating mechanisms separated by the end framemembers connecting the main shaft with the operating devices, and a wallmember rising from the supporting Jcolumn and surrounding'thelowerpartof the head frame, in'combination 'wthfaserles 'f hoods 'hingedin side by-side i relation on -the upper part of lthe "wall member l-for-independent swinging movement 'to -iormwith the-endframe membersseparate compartments V`for'the actuating mechanismsforthe operatingdevices.

2. A shoe machine havinga hollow'mainsupporting column,operating'devices, ahead frame for-the operatingfdevices carriedbylthe'supportingcolumn and constructed with 'end members, ahorizon'talmain shaft in the 'said frame extending "from'side to side'ofthe'column,'actuating mechanism separated' bythe `end frame' membersconnecting the main shaft with the 'operating devices, land a wallmember rising from the "supporting column and surrounding the lower"part of the head frame, in combination' with 'a "series of hoods-ahorizontalhinge mounting for'certain of the hood membersto enablevertical' swinging movementA toward and fromisurrounding'relation tothe'upper portions of l'the *actuating mechanisms land a vertical 'hinge`mounting to enable the hood member atone "end of the main'shaft to'swinghorizontallytowardand from surrounding 'relation 'to one Yof saidmechanisms.

V3. A shoel sewing 'machine having al mainsupporting column,stitchform'ing devices Ydisposed to operate onwork presented'at'thefrontofthe machine, a'head'frame `for"the stitchforn'ingA devices 'carried'by the supporting column 'and constructed vwith Aend members, Yahorizontal vsewing shaft inthe head frame `extending from side tos'idepf the column `for actuatingthe'stitchformingdevicesywalrmembersrising from the .sup-

porting cclumnv and surroundingthe 'lower part of the head frame, a`handwheel at one end of the sewing shafuprojectingffrom.oneofthe wallmembers, mechanisms foractuatingand driving the sewing shaft including apulley andabeltfat the side of the head frame member with -the handwheel, in Acombination-with.a..series of hood members hinged. inside-.by-side relation on -the upper,- part of .the Awall member s forAindependent swinging movement toward and from surroundingrelationto theactuating .and driving-mechanisms to .form .separate compartments withY.the endframesvfor said-mechanisms.

i4. :Arshoesewing machine having.` asmainwsupporting column, i .stitchforming y'devices disposed to operate on work presentedrat theifront' of:the machine,:a:head:frame for-the stitch formingdevices L 'carriedbythe-:supporting columna-and. constructed K4with :end memb'ers,raxhorizontal :sewing shaft nin ithe i-head lframe extending from fsideto side of the column for actuating the stitch forming devices, wallmembers rising from the supporting column and surrounding, the lowerpart of the head frame, a hand wheel at one end of the sewing shaftprojecting from one of the wall members, mechanisms for actuating anddriving the sewing shaft including a pulley and a belt at the side ofthe head frame member with the hand wheel, in combination with a hoodmember hinged on the upper part of the wall member for Vertical swingingmovement toward and from surrounding relation to the driving mechanism,a second hood member hinged on the upper part of the wall member inside-by-side relation to the rst-mentioned hood member for verticalswinging movement toward and from surrounding relation to the upperportions of the actuating mechanism centrally of the sewing shaft and athird hood member mounted upon a vertical hinge atr REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,314,350 Haas Mar. 23, 19432,329,237 Ashworth Sept. 14, 1943

